Chapter Text
Danny stumbled hard when he hit the icy surface of the Far Frozen, skidding to a stop on his hands and knees. The ground twisted dangerously underneath him. Danny hung on tight, not knowing for sure that the land wasn't about to buck him off. If it were the human world, he would have known it was just in his head - but this was the ghost world and stranger things had happened.
When everything steadied, he pushed himself to his feet and looked around, blinking hard and struggling to hold back a yawn. He'd been exhausted for the last several weeks, feeling like more and more weights were steadily being placed on top of him. With no human cause - he wasn't sick, and he'd actually been sleeping and eating well recently - he figured it was a ghost thing. Even though the Far Frozen was more of a trip than Danny wanted, Frostbite wasn't going to hide from him, explain things in riddles, or give him answers veiled in threats and backwards logic. And in this dead tired state, he needed someone clear and easy to understand.
He started to walk, allowing the yawn to split his face in two, and he stretched his arms. Every piece of him wanted to curl up in a corner and just fall asleep for a month. Sleeping in the ghost world was going to be a no-go, however. Too many ghosts that could doom him if they stumbled on him while sleeping. But as soon as Danny got some answers from Frostbite, that was his goal: home and sleep.
Fortunately, Frostbite wasn't far away. After only a few minutes of sleepy stumbling, Danny spotted his friend and grinned. He picked up the pace, jogging forwards. "Frostbite!"
The giant yeti-like ghost turned with a similar grin. "Young-" the ghost stopped, startled, and stared at him. "Why are you here? You need to get home!"
"I-" Danny hesitated, stopping his jog, startled by the urgent tone. "I was going home. I..."
"You cannot be here, not now." Frostbite stepped up to him, making shoo-ing motions with his hands. "Home, young one."
Danny swayed on his feet as a new wave of exhaustion slammed into him. "Why?" he said through a yawn.
"You're too human to molt in the ghost zone," Frostbite said. "You need to be in the human world, or you could die."
The word die made it through the tiredness like a siren going off. "Die?" Danny's eyes widened. Then the rest of what the ghost had said sunk in. "Molt? What's that? Like a bug?"
Frostbite frowned at him. "You have been picking up impurities, young one. As you grow and move around and adventure, your body has been collecting bits and pieces that do not belong inside you. It's reached the point where the impurities need to be removed so you do not become unstable, and it happens through a molt. The impurities are pushed to the surface and they will be shed, like an old skin. But your core, your being and soul, will be exposed through this process. It should not happen here."
Danny's gaze dropped to his arm. Maybe his arm looked odd - like it wasn't really his - but he could barely keep his eyes open. He yawned again and stumbled back a step. "So I have to go home."
"If you stay here, your core will absorb the energy of this land during the molt. You will become more like us, and possibly be trapped here forever." Frostbite's eyes were hard. "Go home, young one. Your molt has already started. You must leave now."
"I-"
"Now."
The ghost's voice was a low growl that dug deep under Danny's skin and made him shiver. Danny blinked heavily a few times, nodded, and took off towards home. His body felt heavy and hard to move, but he kept his eyes fixed on the warm spot of light that was the portal. But everything was so hard. His eyes closed just for a moment...
He blinked and found himself falling, tumbling through the air. Danny swore and jerked himself back upright. "I'm almost home," he whispered. "I can do this."
But it wasn't more than a minute later when he found himself dropping down on a ledge, breathing hard and struggling to even stand upright. He stared blankly in the direction of home. "I just... I just need a minute," he said as he dropped down, pressing his back into the hard, smooth surface behind him. "I just need to rest a minute. Then I'll go home."
His eyes felt heavy. He closed them - just for a moment - and let his head fall backwards. "I just need a minute."
Someone distantly called his name. There was something sharp and annoyed in the tone of their voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I just need a minute,' Danny whispered. And darkness took over.